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A catch 22 in establishing a new Scotch whisky distillery is the requirement for the new make spirit to be matured for a minimum of 3 years in cask before release, while fending off a bank manager keen for his loan to be repaid. Rather than simply riding the the ubiquitous gin band wagon, the new Port of Leith Distillery being constructed in Edinburgh, have struck upon the idea of bottling the same Oloroso sherry to be used for seasoning their casks, sourced from Bodegas Barón in Sanlúcar.

The cult of natural wine elicits raw emotion among wine lovers, deeply polarising opinion between those who with one broad stroke dismiss the wines labelled as such as flawed by imperfections, and its disciples who evangelise over the vibrancy of such wines, embracing their unpredictability and funkiness as one would an unpasteurised farmhouse cheese. Jean-François Ganevat is an indisputable star of the natural wine movement, whose wines have an unpredictable and exciting wildness that sometimes needs a little taming, whence they become elemental and quite charming.

A special bottle of Fino Sherry produced to mark the marriage of Doña Pilar and Luis Gomez in 1967, making this a Fino with 50 years in bottle. Would I want to drink the entire bottle, possibly not? Nevertheless a fantastic experience demonstrating how much potential biologically aged sherries have to develop in bottle over half a century.

Brothers Pepe and Paco Blanco are firm believers that vineyard and vine are the heart of good wines, and this trio of unfortified Palomino Fino wines, the grapes for each from a different single albariza vineyard, follow the same vinification and ageing practices, fabulously illustrating how the different terroir of each vineyard influences each wine.

Closed by the Consejo Regulador with a wax seal and red ribbon, Añada sherries, produced from a single vintage, have seen a renaissance in recent years. With an established tradition of vintage sherries from as far back as 1920, Williams & Humbert’s Colección Añadas is a new venture under oenologist Paola Medina, aiming to produce unusual biologically aged Añada sherries at an accessible price. From one vintage sherry to another, though this time not from a single vintage, is González Byass’ ubiquitous Tío Pepe, bottled in the 1980s, then aged for several further decades, giving an enlightening experience into how biologically aged sherries can develop in bottle.

Claiming to be the smallest, and unequivocally one of the smallest bodegas in the Marco de Jerez, Viña Santa Petronila is within a stones throw of Jerez , surrounded its own old vine albariza vineyards. Norwegians Brita Hektoen and husband Agustín are the current custodians of this Casa de la Viña, catering for events and accommodating guests, alongside operating a working bodega where they produce superb but extremely limited wines.

While many Sherry houses can trace their roots back hundreds of years, Antonio Barbadillo Mateos and Bodegas Alonso are amongst a few rising stars defying convention with fantastic results. The work of Antonio Barbadillo Mateos, of the Barbadillo dynasty, Sacristía AB is a Manzanilla de autor, bottled from a selection of butts at Bodegas Yuste. At Bodegas Alonso, the wealthy Asencio brothers eventually plan to bottle Manzanilla offering beginning to end, vineyard to bottle traceability, but for now, Manzanilla Velo Flor is an astonishing creation from bought in wines.

Claiming to be the oldest bodega still active today, Delgado Zuleta’s story begins in the 18th century, passing through family hands and surviving mergers along the way. Widely known for their ubiquitous flagship Manzanilla, named after the famous flamenco dancer Aurora Jauffre ‘La Goya’, Delgado Zuleta have today ventured into more innovative releases. Bottled under cork in a conventional clear glass wine bottle, their Entusiástico Manzanilla encourages people to enjoy as they would any other unfortified wine, and challenges the perception that sherry can’t age. Their sought after Goya XL needs no introduction.